"Ultimate" Chocolate Brownies



As I've  previously mentioned, I am reluctant to use the words "best" or "ultimate" in connection with any recipe because we all have our own definition of what makes something the best or the ultimate. Brownies are no exception.  Do you like fudgey or cakey, made with melted chocolate squares or powdered chocolate, or maybe you like them blonde? Thick or thin? Frosted or unfrosted? With nuts or without?  See what I mean?  Lots of variables before one can apply the moniker "ultimate" but as this recipe was entitled "Ultimate Chocolate Brownies," I decided to leave the name alone and let you decide if they deserve the designation.

Personally, I like a thick cakey brownie with walnuts.  I'm not crazy about fudgey brownies, because if I wanted fudge, I'd make fudge, but sometimes with a cakey brownie, they can be, well, too cake-like.  Enter the "uultimate" brownie.  This brownie seems to have the best of both worlds.  The chocolate flavor shines through brilliantly, with just enough flour to hold it together and give it a  moist, cake-like texture without being too fudgey.  I love the sugary crust that formed on the top as it baked, a mark of an appealing brownie to my eyes.

The directions are easy-peasy, lemon squeezy, but you will  need a stand mixer or be able to stand and mix for what seems like forever in order for the brownies to develop the volume required. 

Ultimate Chocolate Brownies

(http://baking.about.com/od/brownies/r/ultimate.htm)

8 one-ounce squares of unsweetened chocolate

1 cup butter

5 eggs

3 cups sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts, lightly toasted

Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan.  Preheat oven to 350*F (or 325*F for glass or dark metal pan). 

Unwrap the chocolate squares.  In a small to medium sized saucepan, over low heat, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring constantly to prevent burning the chocolate.   Remove from heat and set aside.

While the chocolate is cooling, in a mixer beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla at high speed for ten minutes. 

Blend in the chocolate mixture, flour and salt until just mixed.  Stir in the nuts.  Pour into prepared pan.

Bake brownies for 35 to 40 minutes, taking care not to overbake.  Cool before cutting. 

Sauce Pan Brownies

I saw these fudgey-cakey brownies at Gulf Coast Gram's blog and I could not resist them. Just look at their moist chocolaty goodness and they tasted every bit as chocolaty and moist as they look. Plus this has two sticks of butter. How could they be bad?

Sauce Pan Brownies

2 sticks butter
4 1-ounce squares Baker's unsweetened chocolate
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans (toasted)

Generously grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, set aside. Preheat oven to 350F.

Melt butter and chocolate together in a sauce pan over medium low heat, stirring occasionally to ensure that the chocolate doesn't scorch.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder. Add melted butter-chocolate mixture and stir well. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.

Spread in prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool. Cut into squares.

Once these cooled enough to cut, Ole Sweetie-Pi was there with a huge bowl, a container of chocolate ice cream, and chocolate syrup. I didn't see him again after that (he was hiding from the moochimals, as he calls them, begging cats!) and when it was safe to come out, he later reported that these were the best brownies ever and that this recipe is a keeper.

I ate my brownies, unadorned, undisturbed, while sitting in my little kitchen. Of all the delicious and delightful brownie recipes that are out there, this is the one that I'm calling mine.

Thanks to Anj at Gulf Coast Gram for sharing this!

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

My wagon has been dragging this week. It must have been the dreary weather we had earlier in the week that has sapped my energy and made me so lethargic.

Time for some chocolate to perk things up a little!

I didn't want a layer cake; didn't feel like cookies. I wasn't sure what I wanted, only what I didn't. I saw down with a cookbook that I haven't used yet, The Amish Cook, Recollections and Recipes from an Old Order Amish Family by Elizabeth Coblentz with Kevin Williams. I flipped to the index, went to chocolate, and of the nine chocolate recipes listed, these zucchini brownies caught my eye. Ordinarily I'd give a recipe like this a quick pass as I can't imagine a vegetable with chocolate, but I had zucchini left over from my wheat germ and zucchini bread, so why not give it a try?

Oh my goodness! If you like moist chocolate cake, you'll love this. No way, no how can you taste the zucchini, but the quality it imparts is it's superb moistness, without being what I would term fudgey.

The directions call for the batter to be baked in a 10" x 15" baking sheet, (which is why I surmise this recipe is called a brownie) but I don't have one that size, so I baked the batter in two 8" x 8" baking pans, which made two small cakes. I like the result so much, I'll do it this way again, and freeze the other small cake for a future use. Perfect for me and Ole Sweetie-Pi.

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup chopped nuts

Shred the zucchini and set aside. Generously grease a 10" x 15" jelly roll pan (or use a baking dish and watch for doneness)

In a large mixing bowl combine the eggs, oil and sugar; beat well.

In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cocoa.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir just to combine. Add the vanilla, zucchini and nuts to the batter and mix thoroughly. The batter will be thick.

Spread the batter into your jelly roll pan (or baking dish). Bake for 30 minutes or until done (a toothpick poked in the center will come out clean).

Cool. Frost with vanilla frosting. I used my favorite butter cream.

So good! Simple and delicious!